Lamp for jack-o&#39;-lanterns



June 10, 1969 w ET AL LAMP FOR JACKO'-LANTERNS Filed June 29, 1967 INVENTORS EUGENE S WEE WILLIAM BLOOM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,449,560 LAMP FOR JACK-O-LANTERNS Eugene Swee, Bronx, N.Y., and William Bloom, Clifiside Park, N.J., assignors to Miner Industries, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 29, 1967, Ser. No. 650,048 Int. Cl. F21] 19/00 US. Cl. 24016 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electric lamp for jack-o-lanterns comprises two telescopically engaged, cardboard tubes, a light bulb socket retained in an end of one of the tubes and having an electric cable extending from the socket through the tubes, and a base. A pointed projection depends from the base to engage in the pulpy interior of a pumpkin for holding the lamp in erect position. An opening is provided in the side of the base through which the electric cable extends.

This invention relates to an electric lamp for illuminating jack-o-lanterns and the like.

A jack-o-lantern is traditionally made by hollowingout a pumpkin, carving cutouts in the remaining shell to simulate the eyes, nose and mouth, and then inserting a candle within the shell to illuminate the same. However, the candle, being an open flame, constitutes a fire hazard, particularly when the jack-o-lantern is displayed on a window sill or the like near flammable draperies or curtains or when the pumpkin shell is dried. Further, with the illumination provided by a candle, the location of the flame or light source moves downwardly as the candle is consumed so that the light source cannot be maintained at the aesthetically most desirable position.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an electric lamp that can be conveniently mounted in a hollowed-out pumpkin to form a jack-o-lantern illuminated safely by such lamp.

Another object is to provide an electric lamp for the above purpose which is readily adjustable to dispose and maintain the light source at the aesthetically most desirable position.

A further object is to provide an electric lamp of the described character which is simple and inexpensive.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the electric lamp for illuminating a jack-o-lantern comprises an assembly of telescopically engaged tubes slidable relative to each other to vary the overall length of the assembly, a light bulb socket mounted at one end of the assembly and having an electric cable extending from the socket through the assembly of tubes, and a base carrying the assembly, at the other end of the latter, and having a pointed projection extending therefrom to engage in the pulpy interior of a pumpkin for supporting the lamp in an erect position therein.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, the base of the lamp is cup-like to frictionally receive one of the tubes and has an interior shoulder to limit the insertion of the tube therein, and the base has an opening in the side thereof below such shoulder and through which the cable passes freely to avoid interference with the extension or contraction of the tubes.

It is another feature of the invention to form the tubes which are normally circular in cross-section, of a slightly flexible material, and to provide the socket with an upper portion having a cylindrical surface of slightly greater diameter than the inner diameter of the tube which is to receive the socket and with opposed chordal recesses below such upper portion to define shoulders at the latter 3,449,560 Patented June 10, 1969 so that the tube is flexed generally elliptically into the recesses to abut the shoulder-s for limiting the extent to which the socket is insertable in the tube and also to frictionally retain the socket in the tube.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent in the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of an electric lamp for jack-o-lanterns in accordance with an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the lamp taken along the line 22 on FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the lamp;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the line 44 on FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a socket included in the lamp.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing in detail, it will be seen that a lamp 10 in accordance with this invention for illuminating a jack-o-lantern generally comprises an assembly of telescopically engaged tubes 11 and 12 which are slidable relative to each other to vary the overall length of the assembly, a socket 13 mounted at one end of the tube assembly to receive a light bulb 14, and a base 15 at the other end of the tube assembly for supporting the lamp 10 in an erect position within a pumpkin which has been hollowed out and suitably carved to form a jack-o-lantern.

The tubes 11 and 12 may be conveniently and economically formed of cardboard, and the inner tube 11 preferably has a length greater than that of the outer tube 12 so that, even when tube 11 is telescoped to the fullest extent within tube 12, an end portion of tube 11 will project from tube 12 and thereby permit tube 11 to be grasped for axially extending the same relative to tube 12.

The base 15 is preferably molded of plastic so as to include a cup-like portion having a stepped side wall 16 and a bottom wall 17 (FIGS. 2 and 3) from which a pointed projection 18 depends. The stepped side wall 16 defines an upwardly facing annular shoulder 19 above which the inner diameter of side wall 16 is dimensioned to receive and frictionally retain the lower end portion of outer tube 12. It will be apparent that engagement of the lower end edge of tube 12 with shoulder 19 limits the insertion of tube 12 into base 15 at a location where such lower end edge of the tube is spaced from bottom wall 17. Further, shoulder 19 preferably extends radially inward beyond the inner surface of tube 12, as shown on FIG. 2, and thus is also engageable by the lower end edge of inner tube 11 so that, in the fully contracted condition of tubes 11 and 12, the lower end edge of tube 11 is also spaced from bottom wall 17 of the base, and the upper end portion of tube 11 projects upwardly beyond tube 12 by the extent of the difference between the lengths of tubes 11 and 12.

An electric cable 20 for transmitting current to light bulb 14 by way of the usual contacts (not shown) Within socket 13 extends from the latter through tubes 11 and 12. Base 15 has an opening 21 in its side wall 16 below shoulder 19. Such opening 21 is dimensioned to permit cable 20 to extend freely therethrough, and shoulder 19, by limiting the downward movement of tubes 11 and 12 into base 15, ensures that the lower ends of tubes 11 and 12 cannot be projected into opening 21 to pinch cable 20 and thereby impede the free movement of the cable through opening 21. Thus, when tube 11 is displaced longitudinally relative to tube 12 for varying the position of light bulb 14 relative to base 15, cable 20 slides freely 3 through opening 21 and thus avoids interference with the relative movements of tubes 11 and 12. The end of cable 20 remote from socket 13 carries a conventional plug 22 (FIG. 1) for insertion in the usual electrical receptacle or outlet.

As shown, the pointed projection 18 of base 15 preferably consists of triangular, relatively thin Webs 18a and 18b arranged at right angles to each other and intersecting at the center of projection 18 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3). The pointed projection 18 having the described configuration is ideally suited to penetrate into the pulpy or fleshy interior of a hollowed-out pumpkin shell and to be firmly retained therein for holding the lamp 10 erect within the pumpkin shell.

The socket 13, which is also preferably molded of plastic, has a cylindrical outer surface 23 at its upper portion formed with a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of tube 11, and opposed chordal recesses below cylindrical surface 23. The surfaces 25 between recesses 24 are part-cylindrical extensions of cylindrical surface 23 at the upper portion of the socket (FIGS. 2 and 5). Thus, when socket 13 is inserted into the upper end portion of tube 11, the cardboard or other slightly flexible material of tube 11 permits surfaces 25 of the socket to expand the tube diametrically in one direction, while the tube is correspondingly diametrically contracted in the direction at right angles to its expansion, that is, in the direction of chordal recesses 24. Such expansion and contraction of the tube in diametrical directions at right angles to each other causes the upper end portion of tube 11 to assume a generally elliptical shape about the portion of socket 13 below cylindrical surface 23, as shown on FIG. 4. The diametrical contraction of the upper end portion of tube 11 into recesses 24 ensures that the upper end edge of such tube will abut the shoulders 26 defined by recesses 24- immediately below cylindrical surface 23 and thereby limit the insertion of socket 13 into tube 11. Further, the described flexing of the upper end portion of tube 11 to accommodate socket 13 therein ensures that the inner surface of tube 11 will be resiliently applied against surfaces 25 of the socket for frictionally retaining the latter within the tube.

It will be apparent that, after lamp is mounted in an erect position within a pumpkin that has been hollowed-out and carved to form a jack-o-lantern, tube 11 can be adjusted relative to tube 12 so as to dispose the light bulb 14 at the position within the pumpkin that is aesthetically most desirable for any size pumpkin. Further, it will be apparent that the construction and assembly of the several components constituting lamp 10 can be simply effected without the need for employing any fasteners to hold such components in assembled condition so that such lamp is capable of relatively low cost mass production.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawing, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that precise embodiment, and that various changes and modifications may be effected '4 therein bly-one skilled in the art-without departing-from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A lamp for jack-o-lanterns comprising an assembly of telescopically engaged tubes slidable relative toeach other to vary the overall length of said assembly, a light bulb socket mounted at one end of said assembly and having an electric cable extending from said socket through the assembly, and a base including a cup-like portion to receive one of said tubes at the other end of the assembly for carrying the latter and a pointed projection extending from the base to engage in the pulpy interior of a pumpkin for supporting the lamp in an erect position therein, said cup-like portion of the base having a shoulder in the side thereof to space the received tube from the bottom of said cup-like portion and an opening in said side between said shoulder and said bottom and through which said cable passes freely into said assembly.

2. A lamp for jack-o-lanterns according to claim 1; wherein said pointed projection depends from said bottom of the cup-like portion and consists of webs arranged at substantial angles to each other and intersecting at the center of said projeciton.

3. A lamp for jacko-lanterns comprising an assembly of telescopically engaged tubes slidable relative to each other to vary the overall length of said assembly, a light bulb socket mounted at one end of said assembly and having an electric cable extending from said socket through the assembly, and a base carrying said assembly at the other end of the latter and having a pointed projection extending therefrom to engage in the pulpy interior of a pumpkin for supporting the lamp in an erect position therein, and in which said tubes are slightly flexible and normally have circular cross-sections, said socket is insertable in a tube of said assembly at said one end and has a cylindricalsurface at its upper portion with a diameter slightly greater than the inner diameter of the tube in which the socket is received, and said socket has opposed chordal recesses below said upper portion to define shoulders at the latter so that the tube in which the socket is inserted is flexed generally elliptically into said chordal recesses to abut said shoulders for limiting the displacement of the socket into such tube and for frictionally retaining the socket.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,236,071 3/1941 Roskam et a1 240-16 2,636,112 4/1953 Dvorsky 240-36 3,104,064 9/1963 Bellek 240--11.2

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

WAYNE A. SIVERTSON, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. c1. X.R. 

